Maine Franco festival called a flop

BIDDEFORD, Maine (AP) — The three-day La Kermesse festival in Biddeford drew fewer than 2,000 people this weekend, a figure so low that the Franco-American celebration is being called a flop.

The Portland Press Herald says attendance in the event that ended Sunday is also one of the lowest in its 28-year history.

La Kermesse was struggling with financial problems and the indictment of a former president, Priscille Gagnon, for allegedly misusing festival money going into this year's event. It was held in a new indoor venue with scaled-down activities.

Bob Frost, who's attended the festival for 21 years, said Sunday's thin turnout contrasted to the elbow-to-elbow crowd that used to turn up. Frost called the event "a total flop."